Game apparatus.



H. B. JONES.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4.196.

1,242,198; Patented Oct. 9,1917.

ya 1. ow yaw wlv 541/5 win? 35 I blue,'--brown, red, black, yellow and green,

i NrrEn v srAras Parana oration.

HOWARD YB. JONES, or crncseo. rumors.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I,'HoWAnD B. JONES, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to game apparatus; Its principal objects are to provide interest and amusement. I

In the accompanying drawings, which.- form a part of this specification I- have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 being atop plan or face view of the same Fig.2 being a side view of the same, the base portion being shown in section, as on the line 22 of Fig; 1; Figs. 3 and 1 are side and top views respectively of one of the counters, on an enlarged" scale; and Fig. 5 being a perspective view of a form of track or guide for the playing ball.

The substantially flat base'or board 10 is preferably circular and contains aplurality of substantially parallel grooves 11, which are shown as circular and concentric. Between the grooves 11 there occur ridges, as 12, the ridges and grooves preferably roundinginto each other. The preferred character of these grooves andridges and their arrangement with respect to each other is well shown in the drawings. In practice I make the device with seven such grooves and number them consecutively from 1 to 7 inclusive as shown in Fig. 1. 'I also color the grooves variously, for instance, orange,

thus giving the device an'attra-ctive appearance, as well as facilitating the playing of the game and adding to its interest.

In one form of play with this device the various grooves are given an arbitrary value. For instance, 10-15--25507 51OO and 20, in consecutive order from the outer to the inner groove, these numbersindicating approximately the relative degrees of difl ir cultyin scoring in the respective grooves. The grooves may be given any-other arbitrary values. They may also be in other arrangement than circular, although the circular arrangement brings added features of interest and skill into the play over,for instance, .an arrangement of the grooves in squares.-" i w For playing the game a playing device, preferably one which rolls. and preferably a ball, as 1 4, is employed,.which,ball is I Specification of Letters Patent.

1 v 7' Application filed. November 4, 1916. Serial No. 129,440.

GAME APPARATUS. i

Patented Get. 9, 1917.

preferably of metal, having in view its'ad vantageous weight for this game. In practice I employ steel balls such as are used for hearings in automobile hubs and the like. As the game is acompetitive one,

and canbe played by a number of persons at the same time I provide at least four balls with each game. These balls are suitably about seven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter where the grooves 11 are on the'curve of a circle, approximately three-fourths of an inch in diameter, although I have used I somewhat larger balls with good results.

The ball may be projected by the player in any approved way, for instance, merely;

by hand, its forward roll being started on the outer flat surface 20 of the base. Pref erably I employ a light wire double track,

track or ball-projecting device 15' may be rested upon the table supporting the base 10, as shown at the right hand side of Fig. 2, wherebythe ball may be projected upon the board by the players finger and with varying rates of travel according to the strength of the stroke employed.

The object of the player is to cause the ball 14 to come to rest in a particular one of the grooves 11. In order for it to come to rest in any other groove than No. 1 it must travel over one or more of the obstructing ridges 12. Quite a degree of skill is called for to cause the ball to stop at the several desired grooves. With the apparatus thus far described the game may be played by the opposing parties making an positioned upright upon the base 10 bysimply-inserting same, in the central opening 18', which opening may be provided with a metallic bushing 19. I have shown the post as provided with a plurality of means for holding a marker at given places thereon, which means may be of any approved form and are preferably recesses or necks 19, thepole thus being given an ornamental a earance,

as well as simplifying the construction. In sdmeforms'of markers, however, thepost" need not be specially adapted toaccommodate them. The markers 17 are suggestive of thejhead andnbody of a person, a" miniature efligy, having spring arms 20, consisting of a single piece of wire passing through a=holein the marker an d'beingqbent substaninstance in theyorderl of g1een,-blue,;bro\vn,

yellow, black, orange, red, brown, yellow, black, green and red, 1 from the bottoms to the top; The four counters -W;ltl1i which the 1 game is-provided are also p'referably colored, and

With different colors, so that they may be readily:distinguished;. Ontheflba'se' 1 0 I show a colored marker; for each of four players; for instance,- 'blfueyre'd, yellow and green, as indicated at 2-1. The counters 17 are given the same colors respectively:

' approved manner. of playing theigiame is 'asfollovvs i 1 The players being arranged around the board ori base 10, which shouldbe placed upon a substantially solid support, forin stance a table, one player begins by projecting one of. the balls: 14: upon the base 1 0* and over the ridges 152'. If he succeeds in placing his ball in: the central groove, No. '7 which iscolored green, he placeshis counter 17' in the lowermost notch or neck 19', or, in other words, inassociation with the lowermost countingposition on the post I6; Having succeeded, he plays again, thistime' endeave oring-to place th'e'ball in groove 2,Which is colored blue, the next corresponding'color on the post being blue; Ifh'eagain succeeds, inasmuch as the next succeeding color on the post is brown, hetries for gro'o've'Nol 3,. whi'ch i'sYcol'or'ed -brown: If he succeeds againhe'tries for groove No. 6, yellow, the next position in hiscount'e'rs adv'anoefupward on the post being ye'llow; In this manner he continues toplay" so long'as he is successful, but upon failure to place the ball in the groove which he is then attempting, he ceases playing and'the opponent begins.- The second player must now first endeavor to place his ball in groove No;- 7 and he cannot count until he does so,- after which he triesfor the blueand then the brown, ust as I have mentioned the practice in describing the assumed course of the first player. Upon failure by any player at anyv point the next" player in order begins.

,Itwill be noted that the post is colored red and green at two places respectively.

VVhen any players count is immediately below one ofthe green or red sections-on the post itis his obj ect to place his ball in the red or green groove as the case may be, in order to accomplish that 1 point and advance in the pole-climbing operationv If, V however, the players ball happens to cometo'rest inieither. the red or thegreentroughjor grooviejatia time when hQ'iS trying forsomeothengroove he is penalized by' having to moveibhe marker, a's{ 17, downward one colon-von the, post. i It ispointed; ouftethat the yell'ow groove, No. -6,- is particularlyv difiicult of accomplishment in play, and that thezplayens ball is exceedingly likely to gobeyOnfd-i and into' the, green. compartment, 'No; 7, thus calling for-a lowering ofv the playerscoum ter one point. It is: quite-l frequerii)v during every game that the players lballa stopsinopportunely inthe green or. :I'Qd groove, giv: ingarise to much hilarity on the part, Oftfhfi opponent.

Considerable skill developed:

playingsithegame and it ispoint'edout that I v.

some players can best secure results; inat least the outermost three grooves by directing theball at anvacute; angle tothegrooves and ridges instea'd of? directly acrossthein; The possibility of directing-the ball at any desired angle to a given groovebringsvinto the game a large degree: of interesting va riety of operation and expression of skills,

The? base, pole, and counters are preferably made of wood and the track 1 5 and I counter arms 20 of wire. The grooves and ridges in the base, as lwell as the mod i fication of the post, where the device-is constructed as illustrated, are formed in a lathe according to practiceswellunderstoodt While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my new: game apparatus. and have shown approved ways of using the same the invention is not limited to. the specific apparatus ill ustrated and described, and it will" be, apparentpthat the game may be played accordingto other rules. Referenceshou'l'd be had to the ap pended" claims to determine the various changes andiimodification's' which rc ntem' 1 l plate as falling within the scopeof the pres ent invention. 1 Iiclaim: r Y ame app ratuscom risingabasehsving on the top'surfacethereof'a plurality of substantially concentric grooves and intervening ridges, a track device adapted to be held in the players hand and rested upon the marginal T portion of the base,- a; rolling device adapted to be positioned on. the track device and thereby projected substantially toward the center of said concentric grooves,

said ridges with varying-forces respectively.

2. Game apparatus comprising a substantially flat base having concentric grooves and intervening ridges on the upper surface thereof, a rolling device adapted to be propelled over one or more of said ridges and to come to rest in one of said grooves, a score counting device associated with said base, and means for projecting said rolling device over one or more of said ridges from the marginal portion thereof substantially toward the center of said grooves.

3. Game apparatus comprising a substantially fiat base having a plurality of substantially parallel ridges in the upper surface thereof, a post extending upward from said base, and markers adapted to engage said post at various elevations thereon, a playing device adapted to pass over one or more of said ridges and to come to rest in one of said grooves, said markers being adjustable on said post to indicate the score or count of said playing device in the respective grooves.

4. Game apparatus comprising a substantially fiat base having concentric grooves and intervening ridges in the upper surface thereof, a rolling device adapted to be propelled over one or more of said ridges and to come to rest in one of said grooves, a post upstanding from said base, a counter readily adjustable to various positions on said post, and corresponding identifying means associated with said grooves and with said post whereby a count registered by said rolling device mom of said grooves may be indicated by said counter on said post according to said corresponding identifying means.

5. Game apparatus comprising a substantially flat base having concentric grooves and intervening ridges on the top surface thereof, a post upstanding substantially from the center of said base, a plurality of counters adapted to be readily adjustable respectively at various positions on said post, a metallic ball, a track device for projecting said ball in a rolling manner over some of said ridges, said ball being adapted to come to rest in one of said grooves, said post and said grooves having respectively associated therewith corresponding indicating means, said counters being adapted to register the counts made in said respective grooves by said ball.

6. Game apparatus comprising an upright pole, a counter readilyadjustable to various'positions on said pole, means on said pole for indicating such various positions, and a playing apparatus auxiliary to said pole, said playing apparatus being such that a player operating the same can make a count or score thereby, said playing apparatus and said pole having corresponding indicating means whereby a count or score made by a player on said playing apparatus may be registered by said counter on said pole at such corresponding indicating means.

HOWARD B. JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. i 

